Pete Townshend Apologizes for Mouthing "F-ck Off" to a 7-Year-Old

It's official: Pete Townshend is very sorry for cursing at a small child.

On Feb. 19, 7-year-old Jenny Costello and her father Eric were at the Who concert in Ontario, Canada to witness the legendary band perform Quadrophenia in its entirety. The pair stood near the rock god while little Jenny held a sign that read: "Smash your guitar, Pete!"

Cute, right? Not to Pete.

When Townshend spotted the sign he said to the father: "Go away with that sign please, just go away with it, just go away with it. Don't bring your children, use them. I want to tell you two words but I can't because you've got a child there." He then mouthed "F-ck off." (Click here to see footage).

Townshend has now reportedly sent a letter to the Cleveland family apologizing for his actions and asking if he could meet them to "put this behind us."

"I am most certainly not angry. I was not angry on stage either. I was in rock star mode, the big mouth," Townshend wrote. "I could have handled it differently. I thought of sending someone to find you both and telling you I was not upset, but we were flying to New York straight after the show, and had no time to spare. I wish things had been different. It would have saved you from all this furor."

"I thought your placard was fun," he continued. "I had a job to do and I didn't want to lengthen the show by trying to deal with you directly and in detail. I was also worried that your daughter looked a little frightened as the crowd started to follow you down the aisle. The ushers should not have let you leave your seats and walk forward. All that said, you did nothing wrong."

To try to make up for the situation, Townshend offered to meet the family in person. And he promised one thing about that eventual meet-up: "I will not swear."

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